03/12/2012 11:53
Egypt judges refuse to oversee Morsi referendum
Judges in Egypt have refused to oversee a vote on the country's new draft constitution, to be held in two weeks.
The Judges' Club's decision follows a confrontation between Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court and Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi.
The court said it was suspending its work after its members were prevented from ruling on the legitimacy of the body that drew up the constitution.
Opposition groups called for protests against the referendum on Tuesday.
They said Mr Morsi had broken a promise not to call a referendum without gaining a wide national consensus.
"The National Salvation Front condemns the irresponsible act by the president of the republic in calling a referendum on an illegitimate constitution that is rejected by a large section of his people," an alliance of opposition groups said in a statement.
The opposition believes that the draft constitution undermines basic freedoms.
BBC told the latest developments heighten the tensions between President Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood supporters on one side, and his mainly secular political opponents and the judiciary on the other.